On This Page

Filter

These are the filters currently being used to limit the search results. Click on the
icon to remove the filter.

answering dept short name

Housing, Communities and Local Government

max date

2019-05-14

Sort by

This list shows the properties that you can sort by. Click on to sort in ascending order and to sort in descending order. The properties that you're currently sorting by are
shown at the top of the list. Click on to remove a sort and or to reverse the current sort order. Click on the icon to remove all the sorting. Note that sorting can significantly slow down the
loading of the page.

View

Choose what information you want to view about each item. There are some pre-defined
views, but starred properties are always present no matter what the view. You can
star properties by clicking on the icon. The currently starred icons have a icon; clicking on it will unstar the property.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what targets the Regulator of Social Housing has introduced
to ensure Registered Social Landlords deliver improved energy efficiency in their
homes to meet low carbon commitments.

<p>In 2018, the Government released the <em>The Clean Growth Strategy</em> which set
a target to upgrade all fuel poor homes to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) grade
C by 2030 where practical, cost effective and affordable.</p><p>The Social Housing
Green Paper consultation published this Summer asks what changes to the Decent Homes
Standard we should consider, including changes arising from <em>The Clean Growth Strategy</em>.</p><p>The
Regulator of Social Housing’s Home Standard sets out the required outcomes registered
providers are expected to meet in terms of decent homes through the Decent Homes Standard.</p><p>
</p>

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to modernise energy performance
certificates so that home owners and landlords can make informed choices about how
best to deliver low carbon homes.

<p>Energy performance certificates (EPCs) include recommendations for improving the
energy efficiency of dwellings and other relevant buildings and are regularly updated
to include new energy saving technologies. EPCs are subject to regular auditing and
a recently revised set of operating requirements designed to ensure appropriate standards.
We have also recently published a joint call for evidence with BEIS, which invited
views on several suggestions to improve and modernise the EPC system.</p>

<p>The Government is clear that unfair leasehold practices have no place in the housing
sector. We are committed to improving the leasehold system by making it fairer and
more transparent. We will be introducing legislation to ban new leasehold houses.</p><p>It
is right that developers who sold leaseholds with onerous terms should support their
customers to amend such lease terms. Some developers have introduced assistance schemes
which is welcome. The Government is engaging with industry to ensure they are taking
action to provide assistance to existing leaseholders with onerous terms.</p>

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement (1) a Land Value
Tax, (2) enhanced Compulsory Purchase Orders, (3) land assembly powers, and (4) the
recommendations in the report by the APPG on Land Value Capture, Capturing Land Value
for the Public Benefit, published in November.

<p>The Government is committed to using existing mechanisms of land value capture
as effectively as possible. We have recently introduced major reforms to the planning
rulebook to help local authorities capture land value for affordable housing, and
make sure developers know the contributions expected of them. At Autumn Budget we
also announced further reforms to improve the existing system of developer contributions.
The key objectives of these reforms are to make the system of developer contributions
more transparent and accountable. However, we recognise more needs to be done, and
will continue to explore options to go further. Through the Housing and Planning Act
2016 and Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017, the Government has taken forward wide-ranging
reforms to make the compulsory purchase process clearer, fairer and faster for all.
We are keen to let these recent reforms bed in but will continue to monitor their
practical application. We announced at Budget a £10 million fund to support local
authorities that want to establish delivery vehicles that have strong land assembly
powers, and in the Summer legislated to enable the creation of locally-accountable
New Town Development Corporations. We note the report by the APPG on land value capture,
the HCLG Select committee has also recently held an inquiry on Land Value Capture
and the Government is due to respond to the Committee’s recommendations shortly.</p>

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to coordinate the efforts
of government departments, local authorities and non-governmental organisations to
provide accommodation and other essential services, including medical care, to rough
sleepers.

<p>The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one
should ever have to sleep rough. That is why we have recently published our Rough
Sleeping Strategy, which will help people who sleep rough now and puts in place the
structures to end rough sleeping once and for all. It sets out the first steps towards
achieving our aim to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and end it altogether by 2027, backed
by £100 million of funding over the next two years.</p><p>We have set up a Rough Sleeping
and Homelessness Reduction Taskforce which brings together ministers from key departments
in preventing and reducing rough sleeping and homelessness, including the Department
for Health and Social Care. The Taskforce will drive forward the implementation and
delivery of our Rough Sleeping Strategy to achieve our commitment. Alongside the Taskforce,
we have an expert Rough Sleeping Advisory Panel formed of key representatives from
the homelessness sector and local government who fed into the Strategy and will continue
to meet.</p><p>We are also committed to working with all local authorities as we move
towards a country where no one should ever sleep rough through our Rough Sleeping
Initiative, in which we are providing 1,750 additional bed spaces for rough sleepers
and an additional 531 dedicated homelessness workers. We are also working with local
areas through measures set out in our Rough Sleeping Strategy such as the Rapid Rehousing
Pathway, strengthening local homelessness strategies and supporting Health and Wellbeing
Boards to recognise and respond to the health needs of people who sleep rough.</p>

To ask Her Majesty's Government, what legislation from the Ministry of Housing, Communities
and Local Government, and its predecessor department, has been passed into law since
1 June 2010 but is still waiting to be brought into force.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of private
rented properties left vacant since councils were allowed to levy council tax on such
properties compared to previously; and what assessment they have made of the impact
any increase in the amount councils may levy will have on the number of such properties.

<p>Since 2013, local authorities have had the discretion to charge up to 100 per cent
Council Tax on any empty property and to levy a council tax premium of up to 50 per
cent on properties that have been empty for two years or more. The Government has
recently introduced legislation which will allow local authorities to increase the
Council Tax premium; to 100 per cent on homes empty for 2 years or more from April
2019; to 200 per cent on homes empty for more than five years from April 2020 and
up to 300 per cent on homes empty for more than 10 years from April 2021. The Government
does not collect data that identifies vacant private rented properties and has not
undertaken an assessment of the impact any changes in Council Tax levels might have
on such properties.</p><p> </p>

<p>We have committed to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and end it by 2027. The Government
is implementing a range of measures to tackle rough sleeping such as the Homeless
Reduction Act, which is the most ambitious homelessness legislative reform in decades.
The Rough Sleeping Strategy is backed by £100 million of funding over the next two
years and the Rough Sleeping Initiative will provide 500 new dedicated homelessness
workers and 1,750 additional bed spaces this winter.</p>

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether in the context of check-challenge-appeal it
is a requirement under Regulation 22(1A) of the Non-Domestic Rating (Alteration of
Lists and Appeals) (England) Regulations 2009 (as amended) for the Valuation Office
Agency in issuing notifications or certificates to communicate with both the ratepayer
and the ratepayer's registered agent simultaneously; and if not, what is the procedure
for making sure that both ratepayer and agent receive timely and accurate information
necessary to progress through the process.

<p>It is a requirement on the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) under Regulation 22(1A)
of the Non-Domestic Rating (Alteration of Lists and Appeals) (England) Regulations
2009 (as amended) that, at the same time certain notices relating to the progression
of a case or imposition of a penalty are sent to a ratepayer’s agent they must also
be provided to the ratepayer. The VOA has procedures to ensure that notices are sent
to an interested party and their agent at the same time.</p>

<p>Everyone in Britain has the right to feel safe and at ease in the place where they
live. Any individual or group is free to express views and beliefs, but have a duty
to behave responsibly and to respect other people’s rights as defined by the law.
Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, democracy, the rule of law, and equal rights
define us as a society, and the Government is determined to promote these values.
Britain has a strong legal framework in place to deal with hate crimes, and these
must be reported to the police.</p><p> </p>